Rail-joint.



No. 7I4,986. Patontad Dec. 2 I902,

J. WOLFE.

RAIL JOINT (Application filed. 1m. 25, 1902 (No Model.)

A TTOHNEY J a M Qmw UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN WOLFE, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

RAIL-JOINT.

PEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 714,986, dated December2, 1902.

Application filed March 25, 1902. Serial No. 99,892. (No model.)

T0 at whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN WOLFE,a citizen of the United States,residingat Oleveland,in the county of Ouyahoga and State of Ohio, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to rail-joints for railroads; and it consists inthe construction hereinafter described, and set forth in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a cross-section of theinvention, and Fig. 2 is a perspective view thereof.

Referring specifically to the drawings, the abutting rails are indicatedat 6. These are seated upon a chair-plate 7, which extends beyond theedges of the base of the rail and is formed into a head 7", which isflared or spread to form a body of greater thickness than the neck 7 bywhich it is joined to the chair-plate. The bead is bent or projectsupwardly, so as to leave a space thereunder to receive the flange of thefish-plate.

The fish-plate is indicated at 8 and is bolted to the web of the rail inthe usual manner. The lower edge of the fish-plate is provided with arecurved flange 8, forming a groove which recedes or enlarges from thelongitudinal opening thereto produced between the edge 8 of the flangeand a rib 8, formed on the inside of the fish-plate. The opening is ofsufficient width to receive the neck 7 but is of less width than thebead. By this construction a dovetail joint is formed, so that thefish-plate is not laterally detachable from the chair-plate, but must beentered or removed lengthwise. Hence the fish -plates will hold the raileven though the bolts come loose or be removed and serve the goodpurpose of preventing spreading of the rails.

What I claim is In a rail-joint, the combination with the rails, of achair-plate having beads at its side edges, and fish-pla tes each ofwhich has a 1ongitudinal groove receiving a bead, the mouth of thegroove being contracted and narrower than the bead, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN WOLFE.

Witnesses:

JOHN A. BOMMHARDT, LOTTIE NEWBURN.

